When is it Enough?
by hitobashira
Summary: Harry is trying to deal with the events of OOTP and his anger at Dumbledore. Can Dumbledore ever regain Harry's trust? Can Harry find peace with himself? With Others? And what's Remus up to?
1. Default Chapter

Harry Potter was depressed. Of course, saying that Harry Potter is depressed is like saying that the sky is blue or that the ocean is wet. Or at least that's how it seemed to be lately. Harry had spent most of the three weeks since the end of the term cooped up in his room. By choice, mind you, since his aunt and uncle were so terrified by the warnings they'd received when picking Harry up from King's Cross station. Frankly, he hadn't much felt like going outside of his room. He didn't join the Dursleys for meals (which was just as good as far as they were concerned), didn't do any of yard work he had in the past, nor did he do much of anything. Except write to the Order every three days to let them know he was alright.  
  
Harry stared out his window from the chair at his desk and sighed. Hedwig was still out delivering his latest note to the Order. She'd been somewhat miffed at him this summer, since he'd barely sent any messages with her. Harry had tried to explain to her that the Order had asked him to refrain from using Owl Post too much, as it could be intercepted. He'd reminded her of the previous year at school, when Hedwig had been attacked by Umbridge in an attempt to intercept his mail. Hedwig had hooted reassuringly at him, making him feel better, but she was still miffed at being so inactive. Never once did it occur to Harry how strange it would seem to have a conversation like that with his owl, but others did notice. Harry's cousin Dudley had caught part of the conversation and had fled in terror, which had caused a set of vibrations to move through the house like they had in that movie he'd seen once, Jurassic Park.  
  
The sky outside the house on Privet Drive was a bright blue. Nary a single cloud in it to mar the constant weltering heat that beat down on the neighborhood. This had been one of the hottest summers Harry had remembered ever experiencing her and it was looking to get worse as there was no rain forthcoming in the forecasts. The lawns in the neighborhood had started to dry up and die, since the city administration had placed a ban on lawn watering until the drought had broken. Uncle Vernon had muttered murderously about this several times, but nothing had come of it and Privet Drive was slowly turning into a wasteland. Much like Harry's heart.  
  
Harry felt empty. Throughout the year, he'd felt so many different emotions: rage, fear, anxiety, frustration. Now, however, he felt nothing. Not since the day after it had happened. Officially, the worst day of Harry Potter's life. The day his godfather, Sirius Black, had fallen through the arch in the Department of Mysteries to his death. He'd exploded in rage afterwards in Dumbledore's office, smashing delicate tools and artifacts to the floor. He really hadn't wanted to listen to what Dumbledore had to tell him, but he'd had no choice. Not that any of it made him feel any better. It had just proved that he'd been wrong to ever trust Dumbledore in the first place. Dumbledore had his own agenda and it always came first, be damned whoever got hurt in the meantime. But as it was now, Harry just couldn't summon up anything from inside him and that worried him. It worried him, but it also comforted him. There was peace in the numbness he felt. The pain of the memories was dulled, but never forgotten.  
  
Harry hadn't written to Dumbledore once this summer. He'd received an odd note or two, asking Harry if he was willing to take the time in the summer to continue his Occlumency training, this time under Dumbledore's tutelage. Harry had balled that and tossed it in the trash. It had been joined by a few others before Dumbledore had stopped writing him. Harry didn't want to learn anything more about Occlumency right now. He didn't think he'd be able to take it if he had to relive those memories again; the way he had when he'd been practicing it with Professor Snape. He had started the exercises that Snape had been so adamant he practice on his own last year. They weren't difficult and they'd actually helped Harry learn to clear his mind and get to sleep easier. In fact, Harry hadn't had a Voldemort nightmare since he'd come home for the summer. He'd had lots of nightmares about Sirius, Umbridge and Cedric and even the odd dream about cows, flying saucers and Scott Beo, but none about Voldemort. Maybe the exercises were helping after all.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, concentrating on clearing the emotion from his mind, on focusing his will into a wall that could be used to deflect a Legilimens attack on his mind. These exercises had made it easier and easier to do as time went on. He was almost able to go through the various steps without thinking about it anymore. That was good, Harry thought. Snape had wanted him to drill until the barrier could come up as a reflex. He snorted at the thought of doing something right in front of Snape. The image of Snape's face as he would have to commend Harry for his work all the while looking like he'd swallowed Neville's toad won a chuckle from Harry and his concentration shattered.  
A soft flutter of wings called Harry's attention back to the window as Hedwig swooped into the room, circling it before landing on the desk. She stretched out a leg to Harry, and he could see the note attached to it. That's odd, Harry thought. Usually the order doesn't send a note back when I send my contact letter. Harry gingerly untied the note from Hedwig's leg, stroking her feathers in a silent thanks. Hedwig nipped his fingers affectionately before launching off the desk and diving into her cage where she helped herself to a long drink of water. Harry stared at the note in his hand for a moment before unfolding it.  
  
Harry,  
  
Sorry we haven't been able to allow you the correspondence you've  
Probably been missing this summer, but we had our reasons. There's  
A great deal that's been happening and the wizarding world has been  
Turned upside down by it. I'll tell you more later, since we'll be coming  
By to pick you up at 7:00 tomorrow morning.  
  
Remus Lupin  
  
Harry stared at the note hard enough to burn a hole through it. The Order was coming to pick him up in the morning. Which meant that he would be staying somewhere else for the rest of the summer. He froze as a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. There were only two places that could be safe enough to move him to without exposing him to Voldemort. One was Hogwarts, but that was unlikely. No students spent the summer holiday at Hogwarts. It wasn't permitted. Harry could remember the vision he'd gotten from Tom Riddle's diary about asking the then Professor of Transfiguration, Professor Dumbledore, if he could stay at Hogwarts that summer instead of returning to the orphanage he lived at.  
  
The only other place that the Order would consider safe was the house at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry was sure that he didn't want to go back there ever again. He was sure that he would be overwhelmed by memories of Sirius if he ever set foot in that house again. He wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore had retained that horrible Kreacher at the house. He was so worried about their security, he wouldn't send that miserable excuse for a house elf packing like he deserved. No, if the Order tried to take him back to Grimmauld Place, Harry would refuse to leave the Dursley's and that was that.  
  
Harry dashed off a short note to Professor Lupin, letting him know that he would be expecting him the next morning. "Hedwig," he said softly, causing the owl to rotate her head to face him. "Can you take this back to Professor Lupin and make it back by morning? They're coming to get me, so I don't know where I'll be after that." Hedwig hooted reassuringly and presented a leg for him to tie his message to. Once it was secure, she flapped her wings and dived out the window, heading off into the great urban jungles that surrounded the suburbia of Little Whinging.  
  
Harry watched her fly away, sad to see his only friend in this place disappear into the distance. He had really missed Ron and Hermione this summer. They had been with him down in the Department of Mysteries and they had been with him throughout most of his trials and tribulations. No one else had been through that much, no one else could really understand what he had gone through. A stay thought flashed across his mind and he remembered Ginny telling him off earlier that year when he'd condescended to her during a conversation over whether he'd been possessed by Voldemort or not. He'd been taken aback by that, although relieved when she had told him that he had not been possessed by Voldemort. She'd gone on to describe what it had felt like, which Harry was now intimately familiar with since Voldemort had possessed him in a last ditch effort to defeat Dumbledore.  
  
Ginny was an interesting topic to think about. Far less heart- wrenching than thinking about Sirius, at least. He'd been glad to see how she'd seemed to come out of her shell this past year. For years, Ron, Fred and George had regaled Harry with stories of how Ginny acted at home. How she was as hot-tempered, talkative and mischievous as the rest of the Weasley clan. She'd never shown that side around Harry before, though, so he'd been inclined to doubt them. This last year had been an eye-opener. It made him realize that a lot of Ginny' reticence had been the lingering effects of the crush she'd had on him since before they'd actually met. Obviously, she'd gotten past that since she'd had a boyfriend for at least part of the year. The funny thing was that it seemed she'd had as much bad luck in her relationship with Michael Corner as he had in his abortive relationship with Cho Chang. Maybe he should talk to her about what they were doing wrong, he mused with a self-deprecating smirk.  
  
Of course, Ginny had made an off-hand comment on the train last year that she was thinking of going out with Dean Thomas. She'd obviously taken her breakup much more lightly than Harry had taken his. He hadn't thought about any girl in a seriously romantic way since he'd had the rather publicly humiliating break up. Well, there'd been the standard dreams and fantasies about the girls he'd known over his years at Hogwarts. Some of those had been embarrassing and some had horrified him. He'd never joined in with the other boys in his dorm when they'd shared details of the dreams. After all, who'd want to admit that they'd had a dream about Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode being "affectionate." Harry still shuddered at the memory of that one. He wondered why he was cursed with always being able to remember his dreams in detail. Everyone else he knew could only remember vague details, but for Harry they were always there in his memory, crystal clear.  
  
Harry shook his head to clear it before "that" particular dream resurfaced. He knew that it was normal to fantasize about girls, but it seemed somehow wrong to dream about Ginny that way. Not that his dream about Ginny had been like the others. The others had been primarily sexual, laced heavily with things he remembered from magazines that had been passed around the boys dorm (Fred and George had provided them for a slight fee to the younger years) and from the magazines he'd seen Dudley hiding. Dudley had the really strange ones where they talked about tying people up and hurting people for pleasure. They'd sickened Harry, but he'd found himself drawn to them with a strange fascination. It was like when Muggles would always stop on the highway in their cars to stare at some particularly gruesome traffic accident. No his dreams about Ginny had been odd. There had been sex in them, he was a teenager after all, but most of them was taken up with talking, or cuddling, or playing games with her that always wound up with the two of them doing something very pleasant.  
  
The dreams with Ginny in them always left him feeling warm inside, even though he thought it was embarrassing to be dreaming something like that about your best friend's little sister, someone who was almost like sister to himself. He wasn't sure how he would be able to look her in the face anymore without seeing some of the images his fantasies would conjure up. He chuckled slightly as he realized that it would be a lot like how she'd reacted to him when he'd first come to the Burrow four years ago. It was troubling, since the dreams about Ginny had become more frequent of late. Almost as if his subconscious was trying to tell him something. Naw, that couldn't be it.  
  
Harry turned back to his desk and the books he had piled there this morning, hoping to get some reading done before the term began. Of course, he still didn't know what classes he was going to be taking, or if there would be summer assignments due at the beginning of the year. He hadn't received his OWL results yet, so he had no idea whether or not he was going to be able to take the classes he needed to get into auror training. He was pretty sure that he would qualify for the NEWT level Transfiguration, Charms and Defense classes, but he was worried about how he'd done on the Potions exam.  
  
It wasn't that Harry really wanted to take NEWT level Potions, but Professor McGonagall had told him that it was a requirement for entry into auror training. Just what he needed, two more years of Snape taking every opportunity to berate and pick on him. If he made it into the class, that is. Harry wasn't sure how well he'd done on the exam, after all he'd spent five years under the tutelage of a man who hated him with a passion. Most of what he'd actually learned about potions had come from his own studies or what he'd learned from Hermione while they were cramming for their OWLs. But still, it couldn't hurt to prepare just in case he got into the class, so he picked up one of the texts and started to read.  
  
* *  
*  
*  
  
Remus Lupin stared at the short note that Hedwig had just brought him. The sun was setting, leaving a streaking of reds and oranges across the horizon. Hedwig shifted impatiently on the sill of the window, waiting to find out if he had a return message for her master, or whether she could just go back to him now.  
  
"Go on back to Harry, Hedwig," Remus said. "I'm sure he needs the company right now. Merlin only knows how those Muggle relatives are treating him. We did our best to put the fear of god into them, but you never can tell. From everything Harry told me about them, I wouldn't be surprised if they still mistreated him." As Remus stopped, Hedwig hooted and lifted off from the sill, heading back out the window and home to her wizard.  
  
Remus moved across the room and collapsed onto the battered couch that adorned his living room. It was very bare and tattered, a telling sign of his monetary situation, but it held comfortable memories. This was where he'd lived before Harry was born. Sirius, James and Lily had often come to visit him when he was recovering from the full moon. Sirius usually stayed for a full week around the full moon to take care of him. James hadn't been able to once he'd married, since Lily had become pregnant so quickly. It had startled them, actually, since James' family had a history of being slow to procreate. His parents had tried for five years before James was conceived and Harry was in the works on the wedding night.  
  
When Harry had been born, Dumbledore had come to visit James and Lily at their home in Godric's Hollow. Remus had not been privy to the discussion held there that night, but it was not long after that when James had confided to Sirius, Peter and himself that he was going into hiding. He had also asked Sirius to be their secret keeper that night. Sirius hadn't answered, but it was obvious to everyone that it would be him. He was a strong wizard, very knowledgeable about hexes and curses and a trained auror. Why wouldn't he do this to protect his best friends? The next few months had been incredibly tense for Remus. The wizarding world was panicking and suspicion was running rampant. It shouldn't have surprised Remus when Sirius started jumping at shadows and accused him of being an agent of the Death Eaters. He was, after all, a werewolf and various creatures that were oppressed by the wizarding world rose to side with Voldemort, including a large number of werewolves. It shouldn't have surprised him, but it had. The argument that had ensued led to Remus retreating to his parent's old home in Scotland. That was where he was when he heard the news. James and Lily dead. Harry orphaned. Voldemort disappeared. Peter dead. Sirius sentenced to Azkaban for the deaths of thirteen muggles, Peter and the betrayal of James and Lily to Voldemort. And Harry, poor little Harry being sent to live with Lily's muggle sister, Petunia.  
  
In the course of a month, Remus' world had been destroyed. It had been years before he'd really done anything other than survive. He hadn't really started living again until Dumbledore had convinced him to take the Defense Against Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. Until he'd met Harry again. When he saw Harry that first day on the train, the day the dementors attacked, it had been like seeing James again. He had the same glasses, the same unruly black hair, the same wiry frame. But the eyes had been purely Lily. It had been the eyes that had brought him back to life. Those blindingly bright green eyes, so full of pain that they brought out every protective instinct Remus had.  
  
Harry had been everything Remus had hoped he would be and more. He was a true Gryffindor to the depths of his soul. Dumbledore had told Remus of the events surrounding the Philosopher's Stone and the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. He'd even told Remus about Tom Riddle's diary. That had been a shock to Remus. Tom Riddle had been a legend at Hogwarts in his parents day. He had been the one to end the terror from the Chamber of Secrets the first time, but he'd vanished after graduating. No one had known what happened to him. It was nearly fifteen years later that Voldemort had begun his rise to power, by then no one even remembered the name Tom Riddle. To think of how Harry had faced him down, not once, but twice before Remus had met him was astounding.  
  
That year had brought Remus back to life, given him purpose again. Harry had come to him with problems, especially the ones he'd had with dementors. Remus had never been more proud when Harry had mastered the Patronus charm. It was above OWL level and he'd mastered a corporeal one in his third year. That was exceptional and Remus had loved teaching Harry. Harry was bright and quick, when he chose to exert himself. Just like his father.  
  
There had also been Sirius' escape from Azkaban. Remus had been convinced of Sirius' guilt and had worried that he was out to finish the job his master had started twelve years before. But the confrontation with Sirius and Peter in the Shrieking Shack had restored one more important part of his life. One of his best friends was back. One of the people who knew what he was and accepted him for it. He'd been bursting with joy when Harry had helped Sirius escape the Dementor's Kiss after Peter escaped. Remus was amazed at how close Sirius and Harry had become so quickly. Remus himself had not bonded with Harry in the same way. Remus started his acquaintanceship with Harry as a teacher. Sirius started out as his godfather.  
  
Remus lay back on the couch, putting his legs up over the far arm and laying his forearm across his eyes. He sighed as he considered the events of the last two years. After he lost the Defense position at Hogwarts due to the prejudice of the parents, Dumbledore had asked him to do some work for him on the continent. He'd heard rumors of Voldemort on the continent and wanted Remus to take Sirius and investigate them. When Harry was entered into the Tri-Wizard tournament, Sirius returned to England, leaving Remus to sift through the clues. He'd returned for the Third Task and saw Harry when he was returned with Cedric's body and the news that Voldemort was, once again, alive. Sirius had done his best to comfort him, but Dumbledore had sent them off on another mission almost immediately. He wanted them to contact the members of the Order of the Phoenix and let them know what had happened.  
  
When they'd gone and retrieved Harry from the Dursley's that summer, Remus had been terrified for the boy. Someone in the ministry was out to get him and Voldemort was after the Prophecy that dealt with him and Harry. Dumbledore had forbidden the Order to tell Harry about the Prophecy, and it had chafed both himself and Sirius not to be honest with Harry. Sirius had been even worse because Dumbledore had forbidden him to leave headquarters. No one alive knew better than Remus how much Sirius despised his ancestral home. He'd ran away from his parents while he was still attending school and gone to live with James' family. Forcing Sirius to stay there was torture for him, but Dumbledore considered it the only way to keep him safe so Remus had kept quiet.  
  
The whole chain of events that led to the battle in the Department of Mysteries was one of the things Remus didn't want to think about. Harry had suffered horribly that year under that evil woman that Fudge had installed at Hogwarts, Umbridge. Then, during the battle, Sirius fell through the Veil. Harry had tried to deny what had happened, but Remus knew what the veil was. Some members of the Order were Unspeakables and they'd told him afterward. It was an ancient artifact. No one knew where it had come from, but it was a direct gateway to the land of the dead, the afterlife. No one had ever returned from it, not even as a ghost.  
  
And so, Remus had regained a friend only to lose him two years later. But at least he had two years with his best friend again and that was not something to be taken lightly. They'd had a second chance at life and lived it up to the fullest they could in the circumstances. While Remus mourned Sirius, it was not the all-consuming grief that it had been fourteen years ago.  
  
Remus closed his eyes, trying to relax enough to get some sleep. He had to pick up Harry in the morning and he needed to be rested.  
  
* *  
* *  
  
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office with a sad look in his eyes. Gazing around the room, he saw the empty tables where delicate instruments of silver, crystal and mist had once sat. Harry had destroyed them in a fit of rage. Rage against his fate. Rage against Dumbledore himself for the secrets he'd kept.  
  
It worried Dumbledore that he had not heard from Harry since they had last spoken in his office. He needed to make sure that Harry continued his Occlumancy. It was important that he be able to keep his mind free of Voldemort's if he was ever to be able to defeat him. And Dumbledore, unlike many, knew that Voldemort was not the invincible bogeyman. He was still a man and made mistakes. Like he had during his resurrection, when he'd used Harry's blood as part of his new body. He'd unknowingly strengthened the link between the two of them and created a chink in the armor of invulnerability that he'd had. Before, nothing short of the Avada Kedavra curse could stop him, but by this further mingling of his power with Harry's, he'd created an opening that could be exploited.  
  
But time had not seemed to have mellowed Harry's rage towards Dumbledore. He still blamed him for Sirius' death and for keeping the secret of prophecy as long as he had. Now, for the first time, Dumbledore began to wonder if he would ever be able to regain Harry's trust. That was the most painful part, since Dumbledore had begun to regard Harry as the son he'd never had. A bond of affection that could be a weakness if Harry maintained his anger.  
  
"What am I going to do, Fawkes," Dumbledore asked the phoenix that sat on its perch in a corner of the office. "Harry is going to need my help, but how do I begin to regain his trust? How can I convince him to listen to me when I am partially to blame for the bad things that happened since his parents' deaths? It is a conundrum, my friend, and I worry that worse things may happen because of the mistakes I made. Perhaps I grew to care for Harry too much? But I dare anyone other than Severus to watch the boy as I have and not love him. Ah, sometimes fate can be cruel."  
  
Fawkes offered no answer to Dumbledore's questions, but no answer had been expected. They both knew that for Harry to succeed, he would need the tutelage only Dumbledore could give him, but that tutelage required a great deal of trust. Trust that would have to start with earning Harry's forgiveness.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Author's note: Well, when I read OOTP, I decided to scrap my other Harry Potter story and try my hand at something after the new book. Man, I thought GOF had a lot of angst in it, but damn OOTP had it beat by a mile. Which made it perfect for the kind of story I wanted to write. I like the anger that Harry has. It's very intense at the end of the book and I can remember times in my life where I've felt similarly. I think this anger needs to be explored. As I read back through what I wrote, I notice that Remus seemed to portray more than friendly feelings for Sirius, but it is not slash. If you had lost all your friends at once and suddenly one of them comes back virtually from the dead, you emotions are going to be rather extreme. I just wanted to emphasize that. All characters in the story are going to be heterosexual, since that is how Rowling has presented them. As far as relationships go, it will be Ron and Hermione(eventually), Harry and Ginny(again eventually) and others as I decide on them. I hope everyone enjoys the story and I'll try and update soon, but I don't always write fast. The muse tends to leave me high and dry for months at a time. I really admire those people who can update their stories regularly. I wish I had the sustained creativity they exhibit.  
  
hitobashira 


	2. chapter 2

Ginny stared out the window of her room absently. She knew that it was a beautiful day and that she should be out in the sunshine enjoying it, but there was too much weighting her done for her to find much enjoyment in anything right now.  
  
Percy was still being a git. He had refused to apologize to her parents or even talk to mum and the others weren't making the situation any better. Ginny figured that even if Percy did ever try and make amends, their brothers would never forgive him for what he'd put mum and dad through. What happened to Percy, Ginny asked herself. She could remember when she was little how he used to read her storybooks to her and Ron. How he taught them to tie their shoes and helped them learn to read. How he'd protected them from the twins teasing whenever he could. Even in her first year at Hogwarts, Percy had tried to make time to watch out for her, despite preparing for the NEWTs and his duties as Head Boy. What had happened?  
  
Hermione had called it Middle Child Syndrome. She said some muggle doctors studied large families and noticed that the middle child tended to be attention-starved, so they'd react in on of two ways; they'd either become the bad boy, or they'd be the really good boy. All in an effort to gain the attention of the parents. When this failed to be enough, they would seek their validation elsewhere. Percy had found his validation at the Ministry, toadying up to Minister Fudge.  
  
But it wasn't Percy's pigheadedness that was the cause of the cloud that hovered over this summer. No this problem stared her back in the face with a pair of emerald green eyes. Eyes that could swallow her soul and never be full. The eyes of Harry Potter.  
  
Ginny remembered the first time she'd seen Harry. It was September the 1st five years ago, when they were at King's Cross seeing Ron off to his first year at Hogwarts. A young boy had come up and asked her mum how to get to Platform 9 and ¾. Neither Ginny nor her mum had known that young boy was Harry Potter at the time, but something inside Ginny had awoken that day.  
  
Ginny had always been slightly obsessed with Harry Potter. Okay, maybe more than slightly. Anyway, what do you expect when he was the hero of the wizarding world and he was the favorite bedtime story of choice? Ginny had started out with a massive dose of hero worship, but under that was something different, something deeper. She hadn't understood it and she'd made a fool out of herself chasing after Harry. That singing valentine had been easy enough to pawn off as a Fred and George prank, so no one would ever know that she really sent it. But the blushing, the stammering and the disconcerting habit she had of sticking her elbow in the butter dish anytime Harry spoke to her gave her away.  
  
Ginny finally got a clue after her first year, when Harry had saved her life. She didn't like to talk about the Chamber of Secrets, it brought up too many bad memories, but there was one memory that Ginny never wanted to forget; waking up to a pair of troubled green eyes hovering over her. That had been the pivotal moment in the life of Ginny Weasley. She'd read concern and affection in those eyes, but not love. That was the moment when she realized she'd found another brother, not the man of her dreams.  
  
She'd tried to get over the crush, she really had. She thought she'd put it behind her this past year. She'd been able to look at Harry without blushing, talk to him without stammering and her elbow had never even approached a butter dish. She'd had her first boyfriend, even if he hadn't lasted, and she hadn't gotten jealous at Harry's attempt to date Cho Chang. So she was over him, right?  
  
Wrong. Down in the Department of Mysteries, as she and Ron and Luna had run for their lives all she could think of was Harry. Not Hermione or Neville, just Harry. It struck her afterward that she wasn't over him. The crush had grown into something deeper, more substantial, lasting. She, Virginia Weasley was now officially in love with Harry Potter. And there was nothing to do about it except live with it.  
  
Ginny knew that Harry didn't love her, he couldn't love her. Not when he was attracted to women like Cho Chang, even though he wasn't going out with her anymore. Cho was exotically beautiful, while Ginny was plain at best. Her hair was too bright, she had too many freckle and her skin was pale. It never tanned, it just got burned if she stayed out in the sun too long. She had a decent figure, but she couldn't afford the nice robes the other girls had to show it off. In the end, she knew that Harry Potter would love her back in return when Malfoy and Snape danced the tango in the Great Hall at dinner while dressed in pink tutus. Hmm, maybe I should ask Fred and George about that, Ginny thought mischievously. They're always up for a challenge.  
  
Speaking of challenges, Ginny's eyes were drawn to the stack of books on her desk. Hermione had loaded her down with the books she'd used to study for the OWLs before they had left school for the summer. After hearing how rough the fifth year had been, Ginny wanted to get ahead on her OWL studying. At least she was ahead in her Defense studies. The work they had done for the DA had really paid off in the OWLs according to Hermione and Ron. Harry hadn't said much about them, or about anything else that had happened at the end of term.  
  
That was what worried Ginny the most. Harry was always the quiet one of the group, what with Hermione and Ron's constant bickering how could he not be. But there was something about his silence that bothered her. He was holding something in and Ginny wasn't sure what it was. All she knew was that it was something big, something that could change his life and the lives of those around him forever. But being Harry, he would pile it on himself and not let anyone else help him. His worst nightmare was to have someone else die for him, that was why Cedric's death had affected him so profoundly.  
  
And if Cedric's death had affected Harry so profoundly, what had Sirius' death done to him? Ginny had been worried all year that Harry was starting to become . unstable. Umbridge and the restrictions and punishments she had levied had chipped away at Harry. Ginny had seen him come back after a detention with her one night clutching his hand. She'd seen Hermione confront him and provide him with a balm for the cuts there. At that point, Ginny had gathered her books to head to the dorm, carefully making her way past Harry in order to catch a glimpse of his hand. She'd nearly gasped in horror as she saw the bloody mess on the back of his hand, but had restrained herself. What had that evil woman done to Harry? On the train home, when Harry had joined the DA members briefly in their compartment on the train, Ginny had managed another glimpse at the back of his hand. It had looked like words had been carved into it. When Harry left the compartment, Ginny had shivered in horror. What could have caused that?  
  
Ginny stood up from her seat by the window and stretched slowly, popping as many of her joints as she could to relieve some of her tension. All this worrying was stressing her out. She'd begun having nightmares again, but this time they weren't of Tom and the Chamber. Now they were of Harry and Voldemort, or Harry as he'd watched Sirius fall through the Veil. Mum had held off commenting about the bags under her eyes, but Ginny knew that something had to change or she'd be headed for a breakdown sooner or later.  
  
Maybe they'll put me in the padded room next to Harry, Ginny mused as she cracked open one of the books Hermione had given her. After all, he's bound to have a nervous breakdown before I do. Maybe I can make a move on him there. Ginny smiled bitterly before flinging herself onto her bed and starting to read. She had a lot of studying to do.  
  
* * * *  
  
Ron Weasley heaved the last gnome over the garden wall and collapsed on a nearby stump with a sigh. Normally the gnome's frantic squeal of right as it flew through the air would have given him some amusement, but this summer it had begun to pall. In fact, Ron was finding it difficult to take pleasure in most things, after the battle in the Department of Mysteries. He still had to go into St. Mungo's for weekly checkups to ensure that no permanent harm had been caused to him by the flying brain.  
  
Flying brain or not, Ron knew that the real problem was what to do about Harry. Mum and Dad had been arguing about it since he and Ginny had come home for the summer. Mum wanted to move him someplace safer than the Dursley's, as she still didn't trust them to treat Harry right. And with the Dursley's track record, who could blame her? Dad had countered that with the threats that he, Mad Eye Mooney and Tonks had made to Vernon Dursley at King's Cross, even the Dursley's would think twice about doing anything to Harry. Mum had returned fire with a statement that not treating him badly did not mean that they were treating him right. The argument had gone back and forth until Dad had let it slip that Professor Lupin would be moving Harry from the Dursley's soon anyway. Mum had been ecstatic and wanted to know where, but Dad had professed ignorance. He said only Lupin and Dumbledore knew ahead of time.  
  
Ron was of mixed emotions about the Order moving Harry. He knew that if they tried to take him back to Grimmauld Place, there'd be hell to pay. Ron didn't think Harry would be able to stay cooped up there like Sirius had. Especially since Sirius had. That place would bring a multitude of bad memories to the forefront of Harry's mind and that was the last thing he needed right now.  
  
Many people over the years had called Ron unobservant and thick. While this was partially true, it was mainly because he didn't think most of the things he noticed were worth his attention Then there were things that were worth his attention, like Harry. Harry had been his best friend since that first day on the train when he'd told Malfoy off for making fun of Ron's family. And Ron knew Harry better than anyone, even Hermione. Okay, so Ron had acted like a complete and utter prat from time to time. Big deal. He knew what Harry must be doing to himself shut up in that house with those horrid muggles and he knew it would only get worse if he had to live in the cloud of memories that hung over Grimmauld Place.  
  
What Harry needed now was a way to loosen up. Harry hadn't been able to do much for fun during the last school year, mainly due to Umbridge kicking him off the Quidditch team, and his joke of a relationship with Cho Chang hadn't helped any either. Yes, let those who might call Ron Weasley an unobservant git beware, because he had known from the time he first saw them together at Hogwarts last year talking that they were completely wrong for each other.  
  
Cho was still trying to bury Cedric's memory and thought that by using Harry, she could lay her grief to rest. That hadn't worked, though, because she hadn't realized that she was the first girl Harry had ever even considered going out with. He had no more clue than Ron did about how to treat a girl on a date. Hell, a least Ron had the benefit of four older brothers to turn to for advice, if he could trust Fred and George that is. But Cho had expected Harry to be a pro at dating. After all, he was the Boy Who Lived, wasn't he? Surely he must have had numerous girlfriends before, right?  
  
No, Cho wasn't the right girl for Harry. He needed someone who knew the real him. Someone who could comfort him when he had the nightmares, talk to him about common hobbies and argue with him to pull him out of his funks. There were only two people who knew Harry well enough to fit the bill: Hermione and Ginny. Better make that just Ginny, Ron amended silently. For some reason the thought of Harry dating Hermione made his stomach twist. The thought of them snogging in a broom closet or unused classroom made him want to lose his lunch. No, better go with Ginny then. Maybe Hermione had some ideas how to make them see it.  
  
Ron heaved himself off the stump and headed into the Burrow and up to his room. He had to figure out a good way of asking Hermione for her help. After all, he couldn't just come out and say "Let's get Harry and Ginny together for a good snog," now could he?  
  
* * * *  
  
Hermione frowned at the note in her hand, while Pigwidgeon hooted shrilly from atop one of her bookshelves. Honestly, she thought, sometimes Ron could be such a prat. "Harry and Ginny both need a good snog, how about helping me get them together," indeed. Hermione was sure Ron had more tact than to come out and write something like that where anyone could have found it. Even if it was true.  
  
After all, Hermione was also worried about Harry. Ginny too, to a lesser extent. Ginny was a girl and better able to take care of herself, after all. Though, to be honest, Hermione had worried about Ginny for a long time. Ginny was one of the few close female friends she'd ever had and her behavior over the last year had worried Hermione. Ginny had been almost desperate to prove that she was over Harry. Going out with Michael Corner, why even Hermione knew that he was no good and she wasn't exactly attuned to the Hogwarts gossip tree. She'd learned that from listen to Parvati and Lavender while they'd been doing each other's hair one night. Even Ron had known there was something not quite right about the boy, and he was thicker than a cauldron bottom. Of course, it could have been his brotherly instinct that no boy was good enough for his little sister, but Hermione doubted it. Ron could be a very good judge of character as long as he didn't let his emotions get in the way. Now if he could only notice what was right in front of his face.  
  
Hermione shook herself before she headed down that trail of thought. She wouldn't be able to get anything done if she started fantasizing again. She'd been wondering when Ron would broach the subject of Harry and Ginny to her. The furtive looks he'd given the two of them on the train home had been a clue. Especially after Ginny had let him know that she'd broken up with Michael Corner. She'd made some noises about asking Dean Thomas out, but Hermione knew that was just a smokescreen to deflect Ron. Ginny knew as well as Hermione that Dean Thomas was head over heels for Parvati, though she was letting him suffer a bit before agreeing to go out with him. A girl has to have her fun after all.  
  
Hermione knew that Ginny still had strong feelings for Harry, despite her protests that she was over him. She wasn't about to tell Ron that, but he seemed to have figured that out on his own. Maybe he wasn't as dense as Hermione thought he was. The big question was whether or not Harry would cooperate with any plan to get him together with Ginny. Hermione agreed with Ron's logic about the two of them. They really did need to have a good relationship and they both needed someone they could relax around. Hermione had been astonished with how comfortable Ginny had been around Harry last year. She'd even yelled at him when he'd disregarded her experience with Voldemort without a thought. Yes, she had definitely come out of her shell and she was the kind of person that Harry needed. She could definitely keep that boy on his toes.  
  
The only big question to be answered was the how. Ron had told her that Harry was leaving the Dursley's for some undisclosed location soon. Maybe they'd let him get owl post there. After all, neither Ron nor Hermione had heard from him since they'd last seen him at King's Cross. Hermione hoped she would be able to send him a letter soon . and maybe that was the best way to get things started. Get Ginny and Harry corresponding to each other. Ginny knew a great deal about Harry, but Harry knew almost nothing about Ginny and letters would be a good way to get them to know each other better.  
  
Unfortunately, the next stage would require them being in the same place together for some time, Hermione thought as she began to sketch out an outline. We need to get them together in some kind of setting where they can actually talk. Social setting would be bad since Harry would constantly be approached by well wishers. No, a more private setting would be required. But all this hinged on where Harry was going to stay until school started and whether or not he was allowed visitors.  
  
Hermione busily drafted out possible ideas and scratched out the more preposterous ones. Pigwidgeon watched from the bookshelf with amusement. Wizards are strange, he thought to himself before settling down to wait for a return message as his master had told him to.  
  
* * * *  
  
Morning had rolled around on Privet Drive and Harry sat in the living room with his trunk packed in solitude. When he'd told his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia that someone was coming to pick him up the next morning at seven, they'd quickly packed their bags and declared they were going to take Dudley on a trip to see Aunt Marge. Harry hadn't said a word, but let the amusement show on his face as they scurried away like rats from the coming cat.  
  
Slightly before seven, a knock sounded at the door and Harry got up to answer it. He wasn't surprised to see Remus Lupin standing there, but seeing Tonks with him was a bit of a surprise. He stepped aside to allow them to move inside before the neighbors became too curious. After all, if he still had to call this home for the next few years, there was no point in antagonizing his aunt and uncle more than necessary.  
  
Lupin looked older than Harry remembered him being. The gray in his hair was more pronounced and there were deep lines radiating out from his eyes. He looked like he'd gone through hell recently. Guiltily, Harry realized that losing Sirius must have hurt him as much as it had hurt Harry. It surprised everyone, even Harry that while Tonks closed the door behind her, Harry had engulfed Lupin in a tight hug. Lupin was startled, but returned the hug after a moment. Hesitantly at first, but it became stronger as he realized he was the only family Harry had left.  
  
Tonks moved around them carefully, trying not to disturb them. She'd been very worried about Remus lately. Sirius' death had hit him harder than he let on, but Tonks and Sirius had been close enough to hear a lot of stories about the werewolf and the life he'd led. She knew that Sirius was one of the few friends Remus had in his life and she was determined to change that. In fact, she intended to be more than friend to him.  
  
Harry hadn't planned on grabbing Remus like this, but he hadn't counted on how glad he would be to see him. Remus was the last link he had to his parents, the last of the Marauders since Peter had betrayed everyone. From his first look at Remus' face, Harry had known that he was not alone in his pain. That had broken the barrier of grief Harry had formed to keep everyone at arm's length. He wasn't crying, but he knew that would happen soon if he didn't let go. So he relaxed his grip on Remus, feeling the older man ease his grip as well.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Professor Lupin," Harry managed in a slightly choked voice.  
  
"It's good to see you as well, Harry," Remus replied, "but how many times do I have to remind you that I am not your professor and to call me Remus?"  
  
"At least one more time," Harry replied with a weak grin. They shared a laugh at the joke and moved out into the living room. Harry sat down on the couch as his two visitors shifted nervously on their feet. His body tightened and he asked, "So where were you planning on taking me?"  
  
Remus noted the hard edge on his voice and was suddenly glad he'd talked Dumbledore out of housing him back at the headquarters. "We've been prepping a place for the last month or so, Harry," Remus replied. "It's my family's old summer house. It's in the middle of nowhere and no one has used it in about fifteen years, so it required a bit of reconditioning. We've also covered the house and grounds with as many wards as Hogwarts has. They're not quite as powerful, of course, but they should keep you safe from Voldemort."  
  
Harry let out a sigh of relief as all the tension flowed out of his body. "That's great," Harry admitted. 'I was afraid you'd try and make me go back to Grimmauld Place."  
  
"Would that have been so bad, Harry," Tonks asked softly. Harry turned to look at her and was surprised to see her hair was a plain mousy brown and her features were vaguely reminiscent of Sirius'.  
  
"Yes," Harry said softly. "I don't know if I'll be okay with going back there for a long time, Tonks. Every time I think about it, all that comes to mind is Sirius and how much he hated it there." Harry's voice choked off into silence as he had to hold back the torrent of emotion that threatened to surface.  
  
Tonks flashed a worried look over to Remus and he cleared his throat. "Are you packed and ready, Harry," Remus asked gently. "We've got a long trip ahead of us and we should really get started early."  
  
"Oh, yes," Harry said, shaking loose of the funk he was beginning to slip into. "My trunk is up in my room, packed and ready to go. I was wondering how we were going to go, I mean last year we flew and whenever the Weasley's picked me up we went by floo. Except for the summer before second year when Fred, George and Ron picked me up in Mr. Weasley's flying car."  
  
"Yes, well," Remus said with a smile. "I think we'll be taking a less conspicuous mode of travel this year. I'll be driving us most of the way to the house. And not in a flying car, although Arthur did offer to put a few enhancements on the car. Unfortunately for him, Molly happened to hear and started in on him. She was building up a full head of steam when I managed to slip away. I must say I felt sorry for Arthur, I certainly wouldn't want to face Molly when she's upset."  
  
This elicited a short laugh from Harry and Remus was glad to hear it. It was a pure laugh, something Remus hadn't heard from Harry for a long time now. It lifted his spirit to know that Harry was still capable of laughing like that after the crushing events of the last two years. Remus nodded to Tonks and she headed up the stairs to retrieve Harry's things from his room.  
  
"So Harry," Remus continued, "have you been having any problems with the Dursley's this summer that you haven't told us about?"  
  
"No," Harry replied, some of the tension flowing out of his body. "They've pretty much left me alone this summer. Barely acknowledged my existence except to call to meals, to be honest. Not that I've minded, really. It's much better than it has been in the past."  
  
"I'm glad to hear tha." Remus started, but was interrupted by a crash from upstairs. He sighed and said, "we'd better go upstairs and help Tonks with your trunk before she manages to wreck anything else."  
  
Harry smiled at Remus as they stood and climbed the stairs to the second floor. They turned the corner and saw the door to Harry's tiny room was the only one standing ajar. When they crowded the doorway, Harry almost fell over laughing at the sight of Tonks buried under a small mountain of the broken toys that had been precariously piled around Harry's room. Remus just shook his head and offered Tonks his hand. Sheepishly, Tonks accepted his help and laughed at herself.  
  
Once Harry managed to choke the laughter back and Remus had managed to fully extract Tonks from the pile of toys, it was easy enough to collect Harry's trunk and Hedwig in her cage. They actually managed to get everything out of the house with a minimum of trouble (Tonks only fell twice and everything she broke was easily repaired with a quick spell by Remus). Harry was a little surprised when he saw the car. He'd expected a mini of some sort, given Remus' usual financial situation, but was extremely surprised to see a rather smart Aston-Martin parked in the drive.  
  
Remus popped the boot and slid Harry's trunk into it easily, which made Harry suspicious that some enlarging charms had been performed on the car. The suspicion was furthered when Harry climbed into the backseat of the two door car and not only found that he fit, but that there was room for Hedwig's cage on the seat beside him.  
  
As Remus and Tonks climbed into the front and Remus started up the engine, Harry asked, "So where is this summer house of yours, Pro. Remus?"  
  
"It's in the mountains of Wales," Remus replied absently as he shifted the car into gear and backed out of the drive. Harry noticed Tonks furiously trying to get her seatbelt on and wondered why when Remus continued, "Hang on, Harry, we've got a long drive ahead of us," as the car leapt forward in a squeal of burning rubber.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Well, another chapter done. Sorry about the delay on this one. I actually intended on getting this one finished last week, but I had to rewrite the last section and that took a while. I also wanted to take a moment to address a concern or two that has popped up in reviews. As to the timeline I'm building with my story, I think it actually works with Rowling's timeline. Or rather, her lack of one. The only real date Rowling ever used in any of the books was October 31, 1981. Everything else is extrapolated from that. We have no details on how long after their graduation from Hogwarts it was before Lily and James married, or how long they were married before Harry was born. Also, I seriously doubt Voldemort attended Hogwarts during the 1940's. Reason number one is that Hagrid was at the school at the same time and is only two or three years younger. Also, World War II is the setting for Dumbledore's defeat of Grindenwald, so he wouldn't have been teaching at Hogwarts while the war took place. So it is possible for Remus' parents to have known Tom Riddle as a student.  
  
Another point is some inaccuracies about Harry's recollection of the vision he got from Riddle's diary and of the conversation in Dumbledore's office. Those were intentional and are symptoms both of Harry's memory and Harry's anger. When a teenaged boy is as angry as Harry, he shades his memories so that they validate his anger. So when you spot those little inaccuracies, please think of how I'm characterizing Harry and whether or not they fit in with that.  
  
On the whole, though, I'm glad people seem to like this story and I have every intention of trying to update as often as possible, I just don't want to get people's hopes up as to how often that will be.  
  
hitobashira 


	3. chapter 3

Severus Snape threw open his chamber door and stumbled in, grabbing at his desk to keep from falling to the ground. He had just come from a meeting with the Dark Lord and he was not in the best of shape. Snape grimaced as he dragged himself around the desk so he could collapse into the chair. The pain would not fade for several hours, as he well knew. The Dark Lord had an extensive knowledge of Dark curses other than the Cruciatus that could cause extreme amounts of pain. The Dark Lord had been very angry with his Death Eaters over the past few months and he wasn't shy about expressing that anger.  
  
Snape winced as a twinge of pain flared up his leg. At least the Dark Lord's displeasure with his spy at Hogwarts wasn't as severe as with the others. The Wizarding World at large was still unaware that the Dark Lord had retrieved his Death Eaters from Azkhaban shortly after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic. All the rescued Death Eaters had been suffering Voldemort's displeasure daily while he considered his next move. He had been most displeased that they had allowed the orb containing the recording of the prophecy to be broken and not hear a single word.  
  
Snape had merely suffered the Dark Lord's displeasure out of a fit of pique. Since Dumbledore was now the only person known to have heard the prophecy in its entirety, he'd ordered Snape to find out what it had said. Voldemort had been irritated with how close-lipped Dumbledore was being and had taken out his frustration on Snape.  
  
Now, however, all the Death Eaters were subject to their master's wrath. Sometime in the last day, Harry Potter had been moved from his relatives safety to an undisclosed location. And no one seemed to know where he had gone. Snape had asked Dumbledore point blank about the precautions taken for Potter's safety and had been astounded when the headmaster had admitted his ignorance.  
  
"I left the arrangements for Harry to someone else and there are only two people are privy to the details. Strangely enough, Severus, I am not one of those two people," Dumbledore had said. Snape had been dumbfounded with disbelief, so Dumbledore had explained. "I felt it was safer if I minimized the people who knew where he was, so I asked a person to undertake the security independent of me. I have full confidence in that person's ability to protect Harry from whatever may come his way."  
  
"Who," Severus had demanded.  
  
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore had said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "that would be telling."  
  
As frustrated as that comment had made Snape, it had an even greater impact on the Dark Lord when he'd repeated the gist of the conversation to him. Voldemort had flown into a high rage that had ended abruptly when a cold gleam had entered his slitted red eyes. That gleam scared Snape more than any of the painful curses his master flung his way. It meant that Voldemort was plotting something and if he was true to form, it would involve death and destruction.  
  
Snape sighed as he felt the pains subside to a bearable ache. He needed to report this to the headmaster so he could warn the boy's guardian about the danger. Not that Snape would shed any tears if Potter came to the inevitable bad end that awaited him, but he owed the boy the wizard debt his father had incurred and the headmaster wanted the boy alive. That was enough for Snape.  
  
* * * *  
  
Albus Dumbledore watched as the door to his office closed behind the limping form of Severus Snape. The news Snape had brought was unpleasant, but hardly unexpected. It was unlike Voldemort to show much patience or restraint, so an episode of violence on the public was overdue. However, Albus did take a certain measure of smug satisfaction in hoodwinking Voldemort with Harry's summer residence. It had not been an easy decision to trust Remus with sole responsibility for Harry's safety. After all, Albus had watched over the boy for years and while Harry's life hadn't been everything he'd hoped for, at least he'd been safe at the Dursley's.  
  
Albus took a deep, calming breath and tried to ease his worries. Remus Lupin was one of the small group of people that Albus knew he could trust with Harry's safety. He would die before allowing Harry to come to harm. Harry was the last family that Remus had left now that Sirius had passed away.  
  
Albus rose wearily from his desk to walk across the room to one of the small tables that littered his office. These tables had once been covered in shiny, mysterious objects that Albus had collected over his lifetime. Most were not very useful anymore, having been replaced by more efficient artifacts and spells, but they were irreplaceable parts of Albus' life. Harry had destroyed most of them the night of Sirius' death and the explanation of the prophecy, but a few had survived the night. A fact which Albus was very grateful for, since it was one of these devices that allowed him to monitor Harry's condition at Privet Drive. It was one Albus had never been able to divine the purpose of without someone willingly donating their blood to it. Needless to say, he had never asked anyone to volunteer their blood. It had been activated by accident at the end of Harry's second year at Hogwarts when he had let a few drops of blood fall from his robes into the device after the episode in the Chamber of Secrets.  
  
That summer it had lit up when Harry returned to the Dursley's, so Albus surmised that the interaction of Harry with the various warding spells placed around the area had caused the device to spontaneously activate. Albus had been astonished and when he'd touched the device, he'd found himself feeling what Harry did: sadness, loneliness, a sense of abandonment. It hadn't surprised him that Harry felt that way. Especially considering the way the Dursley's treated him, but it was different to feel what Harry did instead of just knowing it intellectually. It made the pain he faced daily much more visceral and real to the headmaster. He had been relieved when Harry had fled Privet Drive for Diagon Alley and had asked several of his old friends there to keep an eye out for him.  
  
Albus had spent most of that summer playing with the artifact and researching it. Apparently the device was called a hemoteleson and had been developed hundreds of years ago to watch over loved ones and spy on your enemies. They were all thought to have been destroyed in the fall of the great Wizarding empire of Elbonia, which had flourished over a thousand years ago. Dumbledore had found this one among Grindelwald's personal effects after he had defeated him and it had piqued his interest. The Ministry of Germany had been more than willing to allow Dumbledore what he had liked of Grindelwald's possessions as a reward, since their country had suffered greatly in the prior war, both in the wizarding and muggle worlds.  
  
Dumbledore had returned to England to take up the role of Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts once again and the device was safely stored in his vault. It wasn't until several years later, when he had assumed the duties of headmaster, that the hemoteleson had reemerged along with the other trinkets that had littered his office. It had sat unnoticed on a corner table until Harry's blood had fallen into it.  
  
Albus touched the rim of the bowl that comprised the center of the device and winced as his mind was assaulted by the stored memories of Harry's most recent stay at the Dursley's. The pain and anguish Harry had felt last summer over the death of Cedric Diggory had been compounded with Sirius' demise in the Department of Mysteries this year. Also mixed in was a heady batch of unreasoning anger, directed mainly at Albus himself. He winced as the waves of hatred and anger washed through him, but he was unprepared for what came next like a pearl buried amidst coal. A single ray of hope and joy that Harry's heart hadn't seemed to have ever known in his life. Freedom.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry opened one eye cautiously as the world came to a stop around him. His hands were white and bloodless where they gripped the leather seat of the car in a death hold. He turned his head slowly, ever so slowly to check if Hedwig had survived the ride intact and was relieved to see that she was staring back at him with concern. He managed a weak smile that he was sure looked out of place, since his face was predominantly shades of pale white and green. The car shifting as the front doors opened and Remus and Tonks climbed out made Harry clutch the seat tighter and swallow what was trying to escape his stomach.  
  
The seat in front of him bent forward and Tonks worried face came into view. "Harry, are you alright," she asked, concern written deeply on her face. Harry managed a weak nod and bent his concentration on removing his fingers from where they'd dug themselves into the seat to keep him stable during the trip. Tonks looked unconvinced, but said nothing. Instead, she reached in and gently lifted Hedwig's cage out of the way. "We've arrived at the house, Harry. Whenever you think you can get up, we'll go inside."  
  
"I think I'll be alright," Harry replied in a hoarse whisper. "As soon as the world stops spinning."  
  
Tonks gave a weary, but honest smile. "Remus does tend to drive a little fast, I know. I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of charms he and Arthur managed to work into it before Molly found out. He's never been much on a broomstick, or so I've always been told, so he makes up for that by driving fast."  
  
"That wasn't just driving fast," Harry said with a shaky smile, his voice still a hoarse whisper. "I don't think my Firebolt could've gone that fast in clear weather. Besides, it's not just the speed. It's the way he played chicken in traffic."  
  
"How do you play a bird," Tonks asked, confused.  
  
"Chicken is also the name of a game some muggles play," Harry replied with a small chuckle. He'd actually managed to free one of his hands from the seat and was slowly working the other loose. "Two people go running at each other as fast as they can. First one to skive off is the loser."  
  
"What happens if they hit each other," Tonks asked.  
  
"They get hurt," Harry said, amused at the shock on her face. "I heard on the news once that the muggles were having problems with cars playing chicken on the highways. I wonder if it was just Professor Lupin."  
  
"I doubt he gets around that much, Harry," Tonks replied as she offered Harry her hand. Since he'd finally managed to unclench his other hand, he grasped Tonks' hand and let her pull him out of the car.  
  
Once he was out, Harry felt his legs almost give under him, forcing him to lean against the car until the feeling came back to his legs. He took the opportunity to look around and was pleasantly surprised by the view. They were obviously high up in the mountains, which explained those ridiculously curved switchback roads they'd driven to get here. Harry felt his gorge rise as he even tried to remember the ride up, so he concentrated on his surroundings. A large, two story house stood nearby, the bright shutters thrown open. It was a very well-kept house and it made Harry pause. Every time he'd seen Professor Lupin, he'd been dressed in threadbare robes or ragged muggle clothes. As a werewolf, he'd had a difficult time finding work and was chronically short of work, so where did he get the money for the upkeep on a house like this?  
  
"Come on, Harry," Tonks said, lifting Hedwig's cage off the roof of the car and starting into the house. "Remus has already taken your trunk inside and I'm sure he'll want to show the place off. He's very proud of it."  
  
Harry lurched after her and asked, "Umm, Tonks? I don't want to be rude or anything, but how can Professor Lupin afford a place like this? I mean, he has a lot of trouble getting work because he's a werewolf, right?"  
  
"That's alright, Harry," Tonks replied reassuringly. "It does seem a bit odd doesn't it? Remus barely has two galleons to rub together and lives in a posh place like this, right? Well, as I understand it, this house belonged to Remus' grandmother. His parents never really cared to live out here in the country, always preferred living in London I suppose, so he only saw this place when he visited his grandmother.  
  
"Remus inherited the house when his grandmother died, just after he got out of Hogwarts and she left a bunch off money in trust for the upkeep of the house. But Remus can't touch that money directly, not according to the will. Funds for the upkeep and keeping the house stocked in food can be drawn monthly."  
  
"Who draws the money then, if Professor Lupin doesn't," Harry asked as they crossed the threshold into the house.  
  
"That be me, Master Harry Potter," a high-pitched voice piped suddenly, causing Harry to jump and draw his wand. He relaxed as the unmistakable form of a house elf moved around the corner to stand in front of them. "I is taking care of house for Master Remus just like Mistress told me to. Master Remus is having problems with money so Mistress give money to Dippy to take care of Master Remus. Very important work, that is."  
  
"Umm, right," Harry replied, putting his wand away. "So you're the one that takes care of the house then, Dippy?"  
  
"Yes, I is," Dippy replied giving Harry a once over that reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. She shook her head and said, "Master Harry is needing a good feeding. Dobby was right that horrible Dursley's is not treating Harry Potter good."  
  
"You know Dobby," Harry asked, torn between a sudden nervousness and amusement.  
  
"Oh yes, Dobby is Dippy's cousin," Dippy replied, nodding her head vigorously. "He is always talking about Harry Potter when he is coming here to see Dippy. Now, Dippy is not saying she agrees with Dobby always. Dobby is not normal for house-elf. He is always wanted to be free. But it okay, since Dobby is family. Dippy just tell him Dippy is happy working for Master Remus. But Dobby is telling Dippy that Harry Potter lives with Bad Muggles and bad things happen to Harry Potter at school. Dobby is also saying that Harry Potter does not eat enough good food or get enough sleep and Dippy sees Dobby was right. So, Master Harry Potter will eat all the food Dippy gives him and take naps if Harry Potter cannot sleep at night. Does Harry Potter understand?"  
  
Harry gulped and nodded. Dippy seeing this nodded to Tonks and with a crack, disappeared. Harry wiped his suddenly sweaty forehead and gave Tonks a rueful smile. "I swear, she's a house-elf version of Mrs. Weasley."  
  
Tonks laughed at that and her appearance shimmered for a moment until her face was the spitting image of Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know, Harry," she said. "I think I make a better Mrs. Weasley, don't you?"  
  
Harry laughed loudly and stopped, amazed despite himself. It felt like it had been forever since he'd really laughed. Not a bitter laugh, not a sarcastic laugh, but a deep belly laugh because he found something truly amusing. Rather than look too closely at the reasons he'd had not to laugh, Harry began to look around the house. The front door had opened on a small hallway which lead into a rather nice living room. There were large overstuffed couches and chairs scattered around the room with low coffee tables strategically placed. Framed photographs covered the walls, some were smiling and waving at Harry. He recognized several pictures as being his parents, including one which must have been taken at their wedding. Harry stared at that photo for a moment before Tonks came up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"They would have been very proud of you, Harry," Tonks said softly.  
  
Harry nodded. He didn't speak for a few moments, just stared at the picture as his father dragged his mother into a deep kiss and he could see Sirius, Professor Lupin and several others in the background making motions as if cat-calling. "Did you ever know my parents, Tonks," he asked when he felt he could trust his voice again.  
  
"Yes, Harry, I did," she replied. "I'm about twelve years younger than Sirius, so I can't say I knew them well, but I met them on several occasions. They were wonderful people, Harry, and I know they loved you."  
  
"Could . Could you tell me about them? About how you met them and stuff," Harry asked.  
  
"Of course, Harry," Tonks replied as she pulled Harry gently over to one of the couches and made him sit down. "I guess I have to start by talking about Sirius, if that's okay, Harry?" At Harry's nod, she continued, "Sirius was one of the few members of the family that accepted my mother marrying a muggle. Most of them, including Sirius' esteemed mother had disowned her and refused to have anything to do with me. When Sirius ran away from home, he came to stay with us for a few weeks until he got the money to move out on his own. I was a little girl at the time, but Sirius spent a lot of time with me when he was on holidays from then on. That's when I first met James.  
  
"He and Sirius were quite the pair. They seemed to be nearly inseparable, like they were part of each other. Rather like Fred and George Weasley when I think about it, only much more incorrigible. They were always plotting some kind of mischief. I didn't meet Lily until after they'd all graduated. From what I understood, James and Lily had been . well . they kind of didn't like each other for a long time."  
  
"I know," Harry said in a tight voice, his eyes staring steadily at the floor. The images he'd seen in Snape's penseive running in front of his mind's eye.  
  
"Well," Tonks continued, slightly nonplussed. "Sometime in their last year they managed to get past their dislike and realize that they really liked each other. James brought her over with Sirius a few times after they got out of school and she was very nice to me. I liked Lily a lot. She was very sweet and very smart. One of the smartest witches I've ever known and I'm not just talking about book smarts. Oh she got good grades and was a prefect and even Head Girl in her day, but she understood people. She could look at someone and look past the front they put on for the world to the real person beyond. She's one of the few people who ever called Severus Snape a friend and boy did that cause some arguments between her and James."  
  
"My parents . did they argue a lot," Harry asked.  
  
"I wouldn't say they argued a lot," Tonks demurred, "but they definitely had . umm . strong opinions and personalities. And those personalities clashed sometimes. A lot like Ron and Hermione actually." Tonks stopped for a moment as a thoughtful look crossed her face. She shook her head and continued, "Even when they argued, though, you knew they loved each other. They were one of the best couples I've ever met, Harry, and when you came along they didn't even argue as much. I think having a child made James grow up a bit more. Err . not that James was childish . not at all ."  
  
"That's okay, Tonks," Harry said, looking up and over at her with a strained smile on his face. "You don't have to make excuses for my father. I know he wasn't as perfect as all the stories I heard about him led me to believe."  
  
"I see," Tonks said slowly. "Well, as I said, Lily and I hit it off. I think she sort of thought of me as the little sister she never had. Not that she'd had a good experience with sisters, considering how she always talked about Petunia and all. I was thrilled when she asked me to be the flower girl in her wedding. I was older then, getting ready for my first year at Hogwarts even. They got married in June that year and it was wonderful. It was a big church and there were flowers everywhere. I'd have to say it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen in my life. Even Remus looked wonderful in his tuxedo ."  
  
Tonks trailed off and Harry gave her a sharp look. He thought he smelled a rat or at least a mouse. A small grin worked its way across his face and he said softly, "He really isn't taking good care of himself, you know."  
  
"Oh, I know, Harry, and I keep trying to get him to eat better and get more sleep but that infuriating man just doesn't listen ." Tonks trailed off looking at Harry, her eyes wide as she realized she may have given away more than she wanted to.  
  
Harry just smiled back. "You know, Tonks, I think what he really needs is someone to look after him. Someone to make him take better care of himself. I wonder who would be up for that kind of thing? Hmm?"  
  
Tonks blushed and stammered incoherently for a few moments before regaining her composure. She gave Harry a pleading look and said, "Please don't say anything to him, Harry. It's been hard enough getting him to accept me as a colleague when he still remembers me as a little girl. Merlin only knows how he would react if he knew how much I cared about him. So please don't say anything, Harry. Harry, are you listening? What are you looking at."  
  
Tonks trailed off as a chill ran up her spine. Harry was staring over her shoulder with a chagrined expression on his face. That could only mean one thing. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around to look where Harry was. A feeling of dread grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw Remus standing there staring at the two of them, shock written across his face.  
  
"Oh my," Tonks said the blood draining from her face.  
  
* * *  
  
Ron Weasley sat at the dinner table in stunned silence. He cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me, Dad, but what did you just say?"  
  
"I said that I talked to Dumbledore about Harry today," Arthur Weasley said as he began to stock his plate with dinner.  
  
"Well, what did he say, Dad," Ginny piped up from across the table. Everyone was listening intently, all thoughts of dinner set aside for the moment.  
  
"Well, he said that someone he trusted was taking care of Harry for the rest of the summer," Arthur replied. He looked up from his plate and saw that the entire table was staring at him anxiously. He cleared his throat nervously and continued, "Well, of course, I asked who and where he was taking Harry, but Dumbledore said that not even he knew where Harry would be staying. He entrusted him to two very responsible people, people who could protect Harry. I protested that we could've taken Harry and protected him just fine, but Dumbledore said that Voldemort knew that Harry was fond of us and that he'd stayed here before and would be watching the Burrow."  
  
"He's right, you know," Bill said from the other end of the table. All the heads swiveled, in unison, to look at him. He continued, looking slightly unnerved at the attention, "Well, Malfoy and Pettigrew are sure to have known Harry stayed here for a couple of summers. Even if Malfoy is in Azkhaban for now, he won't stay there long and Pettigrew is still with their master. You know he'll be spilling his guts about Harry whenever he can. It makes sense that Dumbledore would want him somewhere hidden."  
  
"I just hope we get to have a birthday party for him," Ginny said quietly. "He needs to be around people who care for him. Losing Sirius really hurt him."  
  
Ron looked at Ginny strangely for a moment, his gaze oddly calculating. Finally he said, "Gin's right. Harry's real broken up over Sirius and after the year he had . well, I don't think he's handling it all too well. Say, Dad, did Dumbledore say anything about the ban Umbridge put o him playing Quidditch? The Ministry isn't really going to hold that against him are they?"  
  
"Unfortunately, it looks like they might, Ron," Arthur replied. "As foul a woman as Umbridge is, she had a lot of friends at the Ministry and even though Fudge has had to announce the reality of You-Know-Who's return and confess that Harry isn't a disturbed lunatic, not everyone cares much for Harry. I've heard a lot of people talking about him and they talk like Fudge talks about him, Ron. They feel that he's trying to buck the system and want to make an example of him. Dumbledore said he would see what he could do, but even he doesn't have nearly as much influence at the Ministry as he used to."  
  
"If they don't let Harry play Quidditch," Ginny said angrily, "then they're as bad as that horrible woman. And she tried to kill Harry."  
  
"What are you talking about, Ginny," Arthur asked confusion on his face.  
  
"Hermione told me that Umbridge admitted to sending the Dementors after Harry last summer when they went into the Forbidden Forest," Ginny said, her voice dripping with hatred for the former professor. "And she tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on him to make him tell her where Sirius was, but the centaurs showed up before she actually cast it."  
  
"She did what!" Molly Weasley exclaimed, her expression of horror mirrored around the table.  
  
"Ginny, are you sure about this," Arthur asked carefully.  
  
"That's what Hermione told me," Ginny replied.  
  
"I think I'd better have a talk with Hermione," Arthur said calmly, his eyes glinting with suppressed anger. "If this is true and we can prove it, well, let's just say it will shake things up at the Ministry. And they've needed shaking up for a while now."  
  
With the understanding that he would be doing something about this news, the family returned to their dinner, although it was one of the quietest they'd had in a long time. After dinner was over, the table cleared and the dishes were washing themselves in the sink, Ron and Ginny went upstairs to talk. They wound up in Ron's room, where Ginny tried not to be blinded by the glowing orange posters that lit the room even with no light on.  
  
"What do you think Harry's doing right now, Ron," Ginny asked as they sat down.  
  
"Probably moping around feeling miserable," Ron replied. "Either that or yelling his head off at someone and making them miserable. That's what he did most of this year."  
  
"And you call yourself his friend, Ronal Weasley," Ginny said as she stood up in a huff. At times like this, the resemblance to her mother was remarkable. "How can you say such horrible things about Harry. Especially when he's lost Sirius." Ginny's anger evaporated and she flopped down with tears glimmering in her eyes.  
  
"I don't mean anything by it, Gin," Ron replied soothingly. "I'm his friend and I always try to be honest with him. He can be a prat sometimes you know, a great big one at times."  
  
"And so can you, Ron," Ginny fired back. "I just wish he were here, where I .where we could keep our eyes on him."  
  
Ron smiled a little as her he caught his sister's Freudian slip(although he didn't think about it that way. Ron was convinced a Freudian slip was some kind of naughty woman's underwear). He knew that Ginny was still harboring strong feelings for Harry, she had just gotten better at hiding them. All right, he thought, time for step one of the grand master plan. Merlin, I'm starting to sound like Fred and George.  
  
"Hey, Gin, are you really going out with Dean Thomas," Ron asked in an apparent non-sequitor.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, Ron, but no," Ginny replied huffily. "He asked, but I really don't feel anything like that for him, so I told him no."  
  
"Hey, relax, Gin," Ron said appeasingly. "I didn't mean anything by it, honestly. I was just asking. You're my sister and I'd like to know these things before they get thrown in my face by Hermione like Michael Corner was."  
  
"Yeah, sure, Ron," Ginny replied disbelievingly. "The only time you ask about my personal life is when you want to interfere with it."  
  
"No, I was just wondering why you said you were going out with him on the train when you haven't been owling anyone this summer," Ron replied.  
  
"Well . I ." Ginny stammered. "I . just wanted . well . you know, Harry was there and ."  
  
"And you didn't want to look like a dope because Corner had run off with Cho Chang," Ron filled in with a knowing look. "Especially not in front of Harry."  
  
Ginny blushed and tried to stammer out a denial, but the truth was written in the Weasley red that had crept up to her ears. Finally she gave in and admitted to it. "I don't want to look pathetic, but I still like him, Ron. Not that he'd ever notice me," she said bitterly.  
  
Ron leaned over and wrapped an arm around his younger sister. Looking down at her, he said, "Give him time, Gin, he's been through a lot. Now that he's finally over Cho, you might have a chance as long as you play it pretty cool. I'll even help if you want."  
  
Ginny giggled at that. "Honestly, Ron, your help? You've never even gotten a date on your own. Harry had to ask Parvati to ask Padma to go to the Yule Ball with you two years ago. You're going to help me?"  
  
"Well, I figure Hermione could help out too," Ron admitted. "After all, she seems to know all about everything else, maybe she knows a way to get Harry."  
  
"Hmm, I like the sound of that," Ginny said, a slight giggle in her voice, "get Harry. I think I could get used to thinking about that."  
  
To be continued.  
  
Well, it took me almost two months, but here's part three. Sorry about the delay, but I've been in a bit of a slump recently. It always seems to work that way with my writing, so bear with me please. I'm sure everyone has realized by now that this is not only an H/G fic it's also a Lupin/Tonks, a R/Hr and eventually a Neville/Luna fic. I'm a hopeless romantic, but I have to admit that I don't like people getting their happiness easily. They have to work for it in my fics. I would like to thank all my reviewers for their encouragement and constructive criticism. It really does help. Honest. Especially since I don't have a pre-reader. Well, let's hope part four comes out faster than the last few.  
  
Hitobashira Walsh29@hotmail.com 


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